This past Saturday night (Jan. 4th) we had the pleasure of attending the Milwoodindependent film premiere at the Arlington Regent Theater. Milwood, Produced by Roman Media and Directed by Jimmy Scanlon and Evan Goldman, is a mystery thriller about 11-year-old Nathan Perry (Christian Goodwin); an orphan who is assigned to the Milwood facility for young adults and becomes a victim of unforeseen terror and unusual behavior. Milwood first premiered last May at the renowned Festival de Cannes in France.

We came just in time to see the cast arriving in a limo (pretty cool) to an applauding crowd. Cameras flashed as cast and crew posed on the red carpet in their sparkly gowns and tuxedos. The theater was packed and buzzing with people excited for the show to start.

Christian Goodwin and the rest of the cast arrives by limo. Credit: Granimo Photography

Cast and crew pose for the cameras on the red carpet.

We expected going to the premiere would be cool, but we did not expect it to be so touching. Before the movie started, the Producer, Michelle Romano, began speaking of Sierra Preveza, a 7-year-old girl who was suffering from cancer during the time they were filming Milwood. At the time, they had heard of her wish to be a movie star, and even though they were almost done filming, they created a part just for her. Romano then called up Sierra, (now cancer-free), to the stage and presented her with a check benefitting the organization Sierra started, Childhood Cancer Kids. Sierra spoke about her organization, generating many laughs from the audience when she began saying how she started Childhood Cancer Kids because she noticed that “breast cancer was more popular” and going on to say how all the money she saved up in her piggy bank she was donating to kids with cancer. Her words, though simple, made the audience both laugh and cry. By the time she was done speaking, the audience was on their feet clapping. It was amazing to see another kid, at only 7 years old, taking action and making a difference.

When the film began, we were impressed with the fabulous acting, the lighting and camera work, and how they used a low-budget to create such a professional look. We were particularly impressed by the main actor, 12-year-old newcomer to the industry, Christian Goodwin, a natural talent and joy to watch. Michelle Romano, who plays the character Judy, gave a stellar performance. It was also nice to see a large number of kids in the film. At the end, the plotline left us with many questions; we were hoping for a stronger resolution and more realism at certain moments.

Jimmy Scanlon and Michelle Romano.

A question and answer session followed the film. We were able to identify with a lot Jimmy Scanlon (the Writer and Director) and Michelle Romano talked about. For example, both had central roles in the film in addition to their position as Producer and Director; this was something we had also juggled when filming Countdown (FYP’s debut film).

Overall, kudos to Roman Media for it’s superb debut film. We’re so glad we had the opportunity to be guests at the premiere!